Posts Tagged ‘course’

So that’s 100% white guys. (Of “course,” our n=3 here, but even so. I mean, the people who take advantage of this golfing subsidy skew white, male, older, wealthier, right? I mean, am I wrong here? Disabuse me, Gentle Reader, if necessary.)

These are the only people I’ve ever seen at the white elephant known as Sharp Park, which, oddly, is operated by San Francisco even though it’s not even located in San Francisco.

So, why would Interim Mayor Ed Lee go against the Board of Supervisors, who wanted to sell off / give away / otherwise rid ourselves of this light-skinned loxodontine from Way Down In Pacifica? Well, middle-class welfare tends to be hard to eliminate.

“Under Armour will have a strong race day presence as the official sponsor of the notoriously challenging “Hayes Hill,” awarding prizes to the fastest hill runners from select racing categories.”

(People from around here call it Hayes Street Hill, but otherwise this is fine. The name of the hill itself is Alamo Heights.)

This was what the organizers used to say every year:

“Around the 2.5-mile mark runners climb an 11.15% grade between Fillmore and Steiner, bringing them to the highest point in the race, approximately 215 feet above sea level. The remainder of the course gradually flows downhill alongside the Panhandle and through Golden Gate Park.”

So yeah, the course gradually flows downhill, but only after peaking in Golden Gate Park.

Who: The Presidio Trust and Arnold Palmer Golf welcome a herd of goats to the Presidio Golf Course to tame the overgrown ivy, blackberry and hemlock that have popped up around the links. The goats will arrive at 1:00pm on Tuesday, August 7 and will be corralled at the clubhouse for about an hour when the public can “meet the goats.” After all the goats are unloaded, they will be shepherded by three border collies to a site near the driving range.

What: The 250-300 Boer goats begin their culinary odyssey in an overgrown thicket behind the driving range. The hungry herd’s two-week tour of duty will be spent chomping through weeds and transforming them into natural fertilizer, allowing native grasses to flourish. Once the unwanted vegetation has been eaten back, not only can errant golf balls be retrieved, but serpentine soil will be revealed. The hope is long buried seeds will sprout, enabling native wildflowers and grasses to once again take root and thrive. The goats’ next stop will be a wetland area near the 4TH hole now thick with thistle and hemlock.

The project is part of a broader effort to upgrade the course using sustainable means whenever possible. Improvements are planned for every hole and bunker on the course, including the creation of so-called “fuzzy bunkers” using native plants and grasses. The result will be a course that is both more attractive and more challenging, with a less manicured and wilder look evocative of traditional Scottish links courses.

Originally constructed in 1895, the Presidio Golf Course is the second oldest course west of the Mississippi. Long restricted to members of the military and the exclusive Presidio Golf Club, the course was opened to public play 1995.

The goats are supplied by California Grazing, a holistic land management company that provides brush and weed control through grazing.”

What: Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo), along with his staff, will join a group of Marines that served with Joseph McHenry, a former Marine from San Bruno who has been missing since March 5, in a search on Saturday in Pacifica. On Wednesday, McHenry’s vehicle was found parked in a residential area near Sharp Park Golf Course near Mori Point. A backpack believed to be McHenry’s was found on a secluded beach near the golf course. Anyone with information should call San Bruno Police at 650-616-7100. Anyone who wants to participate in the search should arrive by 8:00 AM.

When: 8:00 A.M., Saturday, March 24, 2012

Where: Mori Point, Pacifica, California

“Former Marine Joseph McHenry went missing in Pacifica, CA. The search near Mori Point ended last week. When a group of Marine’s that had been stationed with him in Iraq (with the Amphibious Assault Battalion Bravo Company) found out they organized a grass roots effort of Marine’s on leave to get a search party. Marine’s as far away as NH, OK, TX, Camp Pendleton, CA and other states are paying their way and flying/driving in tomorrow (Friday 23 March) and will search the area from 1300 Friday through Monday Night. It started with a handful of Marine’s and now many of their brother’s in Arms that were not even stationed with Joe are so moved at the show of and dedication to brotherhood that they are joining the search. As of this morning there were over 20 Marines and the numbers are quickly rising. They take seriously the “Leave no Marine Behind”.

I live near Pacifica and am Active duty Coast Guard. My brother Richard Godfrey was stationed with Joe in Iraq they were both communication specialist. Joe was his mentor. My brother says “Retrieving wounded comrades from the field of fire is a Marine Corps tradition more sacred than life”. The Marine’s goal is to search the last known area to find McHenry regardless of his condition and if he is found in less than favorable circumstances at least he will get a proper funeral and there will be some closure for the people blessed to have him in their lives. When others learned of the efforts of this small group of Marine’s many people have volunteered to help however they could.

The original search team: Sgt Christopher Lawrence, a communication technician and Purple Heart recipient that lost his leg while deployed with McHenry. Sgt Kyle Parrish an Amphibious Assualtman and certified Combat Hunter. McHenry was his Radioman for the entire Iraq deployment in 2007. And (my Brother) Sgt Richard Godfrey a Communications Technician during the same deployment was mentored by McHenry.

A PayPal account has been established for anyone that would like to donate to the search efforts. kyleparrishusmc@yahoo.com any unused funds will go to a USMC related charity. All of these junior enlisted Marine’s have taken time off from work and paid their way here. They will be sleeping on floors and couches through Tuesday. I will have a house full of Marine’s tomorrow. The weather will be bad this weekend, but they plan on searching into the night and in the rain. If he can be found, i’m sure they will find him.

Joe had reported that he would be camping and rock climbing in the Pacifica Area. His car was found locked nearby and a backpack believed to be his was found on the beach. He was last seen March 2 at the 100 block of Quail Point Circle

San Bruno Police is leading the investigation and can be reached at (650) 616-7100.

How Many people know someone, much less 20 someone’s that would fly across the country to look for them if they were missing? At least i know i have a Marine for a brother!”

You could see the whole bay area from up there – probably with a similar view that you’d get atop a Golden Gate Bridge tower. And it was accessible – you could just hop the fence (while minding the concertina wire) and then use the internal staircase to get to the platform up top. It was sweet:

Click to expand

But then then took out the first flight of stairs, so you couldn’t just walk up the thing and then they put up a cell tower right next door and then, not too long ago, they took the observation tower down.

So here’s the situation today. Cell tower on the left, and the site of the observation tower (the now-empty square) on the right:

“On October 1, we discovered some heart-wrenching vandalism at the Golden Gate Park Golf Course, a nine-hole track that is beloved by golfers of all ages and abilities. The greens and fairways on holes 6, 7 and 8 were heavily damaged by a vehicle, with the seventh green, in particular, destroyed beyond all recognition. This wasn’t a case of a wayward driver taking an unexpected detour through our golf course. Someone deliberately made a point of tearing up and destroying our golf course by using it as their own off-road course.”

Of course, vandals is everywhere, and this mayhem could be the result of teenagers out on the town. But check out this happy fun slander* sheet the Yelpers have going and see what some duffers think of resident golf pro Bruce Olson and his policies and behavior and whatnot. (Sensitive, touchy, easily-offended fashion models on the runway are akin to sensitive, touchy, easily-offended golfers on the fairway? Seems that way sometimes.)